Tag Archives: government shut down

News Media and Making Government Work

BY MICHAEL S. JOHNSON

“This is so asinine, the Washington Post should be embarrassed it wasted anyone’s time with it.”

Those are the words of Brendan Buck, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner reacting recently to a Post thing—I’m not sure what to call it– by Juliet Eilperin and Zachary A. Goldfarb fantasizing about Boehner becoming a bipartisan coalition speaker.

Buck’s understated reaction underscores a troubling reality in media today. They, the infotainment media complex, are as dysfunctional and as lacking in meaningful contributions to public governance as the politicians who they spend so much time second-guessing and ridiculing.

Now, when we need responsible, dependable media more than ever they just aren’t there. Continue reading →

Boehner and Reid Know What They’re Doing

BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from TheFeeheryTheory.com

John Boehner and Harry Reid are both professionals when it comes to the legislative process. They know what the system will bear and they know how to negotiate.

Harry Reid has apparently told President Obama not to bother calling any meetings at the White House. He told the President that if he calls such a meeting, he won’t be attending.

Reid doesn’t really need the President’s help on this stuff and he doesn’t really want him screwing anything up. The President is still a rookie, despite winning the White House a second time. He is not much of a negotiator, although things tend to work out despite his efforts.

The timing of this negotiation, on a short-term CR, is fascinating. Continue reading →

Skilled White House, Aggressively On Message

BY RICH GALEN
Reprinted from Mullings.com

President Barack Obama, fresh from having his lunch money taken from him by Russia’s Vladimir Putin, is flailing about trying to find someone he can shift the public’s attention to.

He has chosen House Speaker John Boehner (R-Oh) as the person and the upcoming end of the U.S. government’s fiscal year on September 30 as his verbal weapon.

I think that is the wrong fight against the wrong guy.

The last time we were headed down the road to actually shutting down the federal government was in late 1995 and early1996 . Two main players – and this is important – were President Bill Clinton and Speaker Newt Gingrich. Continue reading →